


and he's watching him with those eyes (and he's loving him with that body, I just know it)

by LightningNymph



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: FE3H Kinkmeme, Jealousy, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), character-driven, misplaced resentment, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26910946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightningNymph/pseuds/LightningNymph
Summary: Written for theFE3H Kink MemeOf course Ferdinand hadn’t joined the Blue Lions solely to be closer to Dedue. That would be preposterous, and ill befitting his status as a Von Aegir. Ferdinand was raised to a certain standard, and he had no intention of throwing centuries of good breeding out the window at any time.However... hehadmanaged to admit to himself since then that he had enjoyed the idea of being closer to him, getting to talk to him more often. Perhaps a childhood romance to look back on fondly some years hence, when duty inevitably tore them apart. Yet Dedue only ever had eyes for Dimitri, following closely after him and always, always paying attention to whatever the prince was doing.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir & Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Ferdinand von Aegir/Dedue Molinaro
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	and he's watching him with those eyes (and he's loving him with that body, I just know it)

**Author's Note:**

> ...so hey, I live. Had a huge health scare but _hopefully_ it's smooth sailing from here.  
> Celebrating my return with some Ferdidue! Cheers!

“Ferdinand, might I have a moment?”

Really, he should have been expecting this. Dimitri made it a point to get to know new transfers, and surely Ferdinand had been on that list already, even prior to his antipathy to Dimitri.

Still, Ferdinand froze for a moment, halfway through his conversation with Mercedes and Flayn, before repackaging himself and giving Dimitri his best smile. “Of course. What might I be able to help you with?”

“Would you be interested in taking a ride with me?” Dimitri asked, smiling at him. “The stablehands mentioned wanting to exercise some of the horses, and I don’t think we’ve had much opportunity to talk since you joined the Blue Lions. It seems like a good opportunity to achieve both goals at once.”

Years of practice kept Ferdinand’s face from sliding into a grimace. “Of couse,” he said. “I’d be happy to assist.”

“Good to hear!” Dimitri said. “I’ll have them saddle two horses for us. Please feel free to join me whenever you’re ready.”

“I’ll be with you soon,” Ferdinand said.

Dimitri nodded and walked off, Ferdinand returning to the conversation.

“Ah—you must forgive me,” he said after a moment, smiling apologetically. “I’m afraid I’ve forgotten what we were discussing.”

Mercedes tilted her head slightly, staring at him. “Ferdinand, are you alright?” she asked.

“Of course,” Ferdinand answered, smiling wider. “Why would I not be?”

“You seemed rather... tense when speaking to Dimitri,” Flayn said, twirling her fork in her hand absently. Ferdinand groaned internally; if _Flayn_ had noticed, surely everyone else had, as well. “Are you sure?”

“Must just be nerves,” Ferdinand said smoothly. “At any rate, where were we?”

Neither of the girls seemed convinced, but they did not press the issue.

⁂

Truthfully, Ferdinand was decidedly _not_ looking forward to the horseback ride with Dimitri.

By all accounts, Dimitri was a good person—calm, willing to listen to and help his subjects with their troubles, and more than happy to do the heavy lifting (literal and metaphorical) himself. Ferdinand knew that by all accounts, he and the prince should get along quite well, and he should not have any reason to resent him.

...yet when then he turned the corner to the stables, he got a harsh reminder of the reason behind his feelings towards Dimitri.

Dimitri and Dedue were standing there, close together, talking to each other. Apparently Dedue had made some comment or another because Dimitri was laughing.

And in turn, Dedue smiled at him, warmly and openly in a way not seen around others, and Ferdinand felt his heart twinge in pain.

Of course Ferdinand hadn’t joined the Blue Lions solely to be closer to Dedue. That would be preposterous, and ill befitting his status as a Von Aegir. Ferdinand was raised to a certain standard, and he had no intention of throwing centuries of good breeding out the window at any time.

However... he _had_ managed to admit to himself since then that he had enjoyed the idea of being closer to him, getting to talk to him more often. Perhaps a childhood romance to look back on fondly some years hence, when duty inevitably tore them apart. Yet Dedue only ever had eyes for Dimitri, following closely after him and always, always paying attention to whatever the prince was doing.

Dimitri glanced up then, oblivious to any of this. “Ah, Ferdinand! I’m glad you could make it!”

Ferdinand smiled. “Of course. I gave you my word, did I not?”

“I will be taking my leave then, your highness,” Dedue said, bowing to him. “Safe travels.”

“I will see you when I return,” Dimitri promised, entirely unaware of how his words wrenched at Ferdinand’s heart.

Dedue nodded and walked off in the direction of the greenhouse, leaving Dimitri and Ferdinand alone.

“The horses are saddled and ready,” Dimitri said, walking towards one of the stalls. “I was thinking we could take the trail through the forest. It’s a nice day out, after all.”

“By all means,” Ferdinand said, following after.

This was going to be a nightmare.

⁂

Dimitri made an admirable effort to make small talk as they rode, the sunlight dappling through the leaves. He flitted fairly smoothly between discussing their classmates, their lessons, the professor, the monastery itself, any number of subjects Ferdinand would normally have been happy to chat about but found himself severely lacking in interest for this time.

Ferdinand managed to keep up his end of the conversation well enough, drawing back on extensive lessons on both etiquette and How To Speak Civilly To Someone You Loathe, but he could feel the urge to turn his horse around and gallop back growing by the minute.

Some part of his brain supplied that this was hardly _Dimitri’s_ fault, he was simply an innocent bystander to Ferdinand’s own weakness, but he muffled that as best he could.

Yet for all Ferdinand’s efforts, Dimitri grew quieter as their ride went on. Eventually, he cleared his throat.

“Ferdinand,” he said, “I was actually hoping for an honest discussion with you, without being overheard.”

 _Ah_. Ferdinand could guess at the subject. He smiled, still, nodding. “By all means, Your Highness.”

The subtle dig did not go unnoticed judging by the way Dimitri’s hand clenched around the reins—Ferdinand cursed himself for being unable to leave well enough alone and using his name like the other Lions—but Dimitri did not comment on it, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

“Truthfully, the horses were merely a pretext to speak with you in private,” he said after a minute or so. “I _had_ noticed your antipathy towards me, but I assumed it would pass. Unfortunately, it seems that your feelings towards me have only grown more unkind, and I am not sure what I have done to deserve them. Please, would you explain to me what I could do better?”

Ferdinand held his breath for a long moment, sighing then. “The problem does not lie with you, I’m afraid,” he said. “I’m afraid I could not help you with it.”

“Surely it must,” Dimitri said. “I couldn’t imagine you resenting me so without reason. Please, if it is within my power—”

“My ‘reason’ is nowhere near as impartial as you make it seem, Dimitri.”

“Ah. I... I see,” Dimitri said, looking away.

The conversation died there, the two of them riding on in an uncomfortable silence. Ferdinand cursed his own lack of foresight at not having thought of a convenient lie to tell if confronted.

Eventually, Dimitri cleared his throat.

“I do not mean to pry,” he said slowly, keeping his gaze straight ahead, “but your reason... Sylvain mentioned—”

Ferdinand let out a truly undignified noise. “ _Sylvain_?” he asked, trying desperately to deflect.

“Sylvain is a dear friend, and more perceptive than he lets on,” Dimitri said, a touch defensively. “I have no reason to doubt his assessment.”

Ferdinand bit his tongue, staring at the path ahead of them.

After a long moment, Dimitri sighed. “My apologies,” he said. “I did not mean to put you on the spot. But your reason for disliking me... _does_ it have to do with—with matters of the heart?”

Ferdinand let out a small, breathy laugh. “Matters of the heart?” he echoed.

Dimitri let out an embarassed chuckle. “Perhaps Ingrid’s novels have rubbed off on me.”

Ferdinand shook his head. “You make it hard for me to dislike you irrationally.”

“Then that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Dimitri asked, smiling. “One step closer to talking things over.”

“Perhaps not,” Ferdinand said, smile fading. “I’m afraid I’m not as rational as that.”

“Then perhaps we could still use it as a stepping stone,” Dimitri insisted. “I promise you, whoever drew your eye, I would never dream of standing in the way.”

Ferdinand paused for a long moment, debating speaking up or staying silent. Eventually, however, he cleared his throat. “I’m afraid,” he said, speaking slowly, “that you find yourself standing in the way by simply _existing_. I could never dream to draw their eye when they are always focused solely on you.”

When Ferdinand dared steal a glance at Dimitri, the prince seemed stunned, scrambling to work out the meaning behind Ferdinand’s words, running over the options in his mind.

“I’m afraid I do not understand,” he said after what felt like an eternity. “I shouldn’t think there is anyone who would look at me like that.”

Ferdinand laughed, just a tinge of bitterness touching the edges of it. “Do you truly not see it?” he asked. “Not only are you a prince, but you are noble, kind, and just. Any of the Lions would be thrilled to be the object your affections, even for a moment.” After a moment of hesitation, he added, bitterness seeping deeper into his voice, “Dedue certainly seems _very_ taken with you.”

Dimitri’s eyes widened, and Ferdinand clutched tighter at the reins of his horse, steeling himself for the inevitable attempt at soothing his feelings—when Dimitri burst into _laughter_ , the sudden sound of his voice causing both their horses to whinny and fidget anxiously.

“Do not mock me, Your Highness,” Ferdinand snapped, bristling, as he tried to soothe his horse. “If you would insult my feelings just because—”

“Oh, heavens, no,” Dimitri said quickly, still shaking his head. “It’s simply—all this because you believe Dedue is in love with _me_?”

Ferdinand blinked, feeling like someone lulled the carpet out from under his feet. “What do you mean?” he asked. “I saw you two just today as I walked up to you at the stables.”

“Oh, Ferdinand...” Dimitri shook his head, still smiling. “Dedue is simply a very, _very_ dear friend, nothing more for both of us. We have gone through a lot together, it is true, but he is like a brother to me.”

“I—truly?” Ferdinand asked, feeling even more stunned. “But—he never takes his eyes off you more than a second when he can help it.”

“It is true that Dedue is always watchful,” Dimitri conceded, “but it is from a place of friendship, not because he is in love with me. He considers it his duty to guard me, because I saved his life when we were children.”

Oh. _Oh_. Ferdinand cringed in on himself. “I—I did not know that,” he admitted, voice faint. How was he to compete with _that_?

“It is hardly something we boast about,” Dimitri said dryly. “But I promise you, Dedue and I are friends, nothing more. He is more than free to court whoever he wishes.” Clearing his throat and looking away, he added, “I should not be saying this, but he has been particularly interested in you, as of late. He should be in the greenhouse when we get back, if you wish to speak to him. As for me... there is someone else I like.” A blush touched Dimitri’s features as he spoke, looking down at his hands with a faint smile.

Turning this information over in his head, Ferdinand let out a weak laugh. “You truly are a kind man, to forgive me so quickly,” he said, smiling at Dimitri. “I am deeply sorry for my misplaced anger.”

“There is nothing to forgive, really,” Dimitri said, smiling at Ferdinand. “Now, what say you we enjoy the rest of our ride now that we’ve cleared the air?”

“I would enjoy that,” Ferdinand said, spurring his horse on a bit.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from the Rick Springfield song Jessie's Girl only because I couldn't make a Jolene-reference work. Flaming locks of auburn hair, yes, but unfortunately Ferdinand's eyes are brown.


End file.
